Saitek Eclipse II Illuminated Keyboard

Craving one of the coolest looking gamer keyboards around? The Eclipse II delivers. It can be equipped with three different LED colors, and also packs a fair amount of functionality.

Build Quality, Final Thoughts

Something else to take note of the build quality of the Eclipse II. The keyboard has a weighted base and rubber pads on the corners to insure a firm stance on whatever surface you are setting it on. The Eclipse II has two flaps that come out to allow you to angle the keyboard back, which is much more comfortable for me and quite possible you as well. Also, each of these legs have 2 settings on them. You can have one stuck up or the other, allowing you to have a greater degree of slant should you want it. Saitek has put together a very sturdy feeling keyboard that should last quite a long time.

Conclusion

I have been working with the Eclipse II for almost 2 weeks now and in that time, I have learned to love this keyboard. The layout and design allow for a comfortable typing session as well as gaming. I have spent a lot of time with this keyboard playing games, writing articles and reviews and sending out emails. Through all of this use, I did not find anything wrong with the keyboard that I would change besides the backlit keys and that’s not really a sticky issue with me. The media keys worked well in winamp, windows media player and musicmatch and took up little space on the keyboard itself.

Something else that I loved about the keyboard was its sturdiness and weight. As a frequenter of many bars in the area, I have seen a few bar fights. Having said that, the Saitek Eclipse II is certainly something I would like to have around should any LAN party I attend take a turn for the worse. It’s just built that well and that sturdy.

There isn’t much more I can say about the Eclipse II that I haven’t all ready said. It has taken the Logitech G15s spot on my desk and that’s something that I didn’t think would happen so quickly.

Pros

Sturdy and stylish

Three different color options are nice

Dimmer knob is a nice addition

Comfortable to use for extended periods of time

Cons

Price. $60 US for a keyboard might be steep for some

Backlit keys could be a bit brighter

There you have it. The Saitek Eclipse II is a well made keyboard with just enough to get you going. There is no LCD like the G15 but for 90% of all users, that is an unneeded accessory. My only true complaint is that the keys really should be brighter. I would like to see future revisions or future keyboards from Saitek illuminate each key individually as opposed to backlighting under the keys and have each key share that light. Not a huge deal but it might be a turn off for some.

The Saitek is now the king of my desk and has replaced the G15 from its throne. The Eclipse II can be found online in the $60 US range. With all this information factored in, I am awarding the Saitek Eclipse II keyboard a strong 9 out of 10 and seeing how this is now my personal keyboard, an editors choice seems to be in order as well.

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